Reversible pump with automatic valving



Jan. 22, 1957 H. H. HAIGHT EI'AL 2,778,316

REVERSIBLE PUMP WITH AUTOMATIC VALVING Filed Feb. 12. 1952 I5 Sheets-Sheet 1 .3... fir

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3nventor W NM M, 1 5W H. .2 o mm 1 4 mm Jan. 22, 1957 H. H. HAIGHT EI'AL 2,778,316

REVERSIBLE PUMP WITH AUTOMATIC VALVING Filed Feb. 12, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Gttorneg-s Jan. 22, 1957 3 Sheets-SheetS ...ldi'cated at 33 in Fig. 4.

aired States REVERSBLE PUMP WlTI-l AUTOMATIC VALVENG Hiram H. Height and Wayland Z. Knight, Wauwatosa, Wis.

Application February 12, 1952, Serial N 0. 271,206

13 Claims. (Cl. 103-117) ing rotor has inlet and discharge passages cored in part i in the body and in part in the covers of said closures which project into the body to confine the rotor, the said passages extending partially across at least one face of the rotor.

Two of said passages terminate in a valve chamber which extends transversely of the rotor axis but preferably in the same plane with the rotor, into which chamber project removable cages which provide guide surfaces and seats for a.pressure-reciprocated valve movable between said cages across a portion of the valve chamber with which a port communicates.

In the preferred construction, there are threeinletand discharge passages, each of which is branched to extend alo'n'gopposite faces of the rotor or rotors and opening into the pump chamber at points roughly centered at about 120 of spacing. Moreover, the respective dis- .charge passages controlled by the valve desirably have their branches at opposite sides of the'body respectively extended into closer proximity to the dead center tive passages.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1' is a front elevation-of a pump embodying our invention, p'ortions of oneof the heads and the pump rotormeans being broken away to a transversesection.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe pump with portions .asection parallel to the axial section. (Pig. 3 is aview in transverse section on the -plane'inof .one o-f'the heads and the body beingbroken'away' to Fig. 4 is a view in axial section on 't he plane indicated '7, portionsbeing broken away to expose the ih'trior'construction. V I p 'The bodyportion 7 of apump embodying the inven- .tion is-provided unitarily with a pumping chamber band the valve chamber 9. While the type of pumping mechanism in the pumping chamber is broadly immaterial'to the invention, the pumping mechanism preferably comfprises a gear pump including at least onerotor driven by shaft 10. 'The invention is particularly'adapted for -position of the rotor than are the alternate branches of the discharge passages, the object being to provide for "are Patented Jan.x22, 1957 2 use in apump of the type having a ring gear 11, a dis placement pinion 12 meshing with the ring gear eccentrically thereto, and a crescent-shaped battle at 13. In

the instant pump, selected to exemplify the invention,

the pinion is the rotor connected with drive shaft and the ring gear is idle. The converse arrangement is Well known.

The respective closures 15 and 16 have bosses 17, 18 extending into the pump chamber at opposite ends of the rotor or rotors therein to close such chamber. The respective flanges 19 and 20 of the closures 15, 16 seat against the ends of the pump body 7, being held thereto by bolts 21, 22. The bolts 21 alternate with bolts- 22 and are shorter, being threaded into tapped openings provided in the flange 19. The longer bolts 22 extend completely through flange 19 to make their threaded ends available for mounting the pump. Suitable bearings and packing are provided for shaft 10 within the respective end closures. End closure 16 may have a removable subclosure at 23 affording access to its bearing 24. The bearing structures, however, form no part of the present invention.

The pump inlet 25, which may have any desired type the bafile 13 and into the path of travel of the teeth of the pinion rotor 12 so that liquids or gases admitted through the inlet 25 can reach the interdental spaces of both rotors to relieve vacuums therein resulting from the disengagement oftheir teeth, following the discharge of fiuid from thelhigh pressure side of the pump in the manner presently to be described.

Two separate paths of flow are provided from the high pressure side of the pump and there are two channels for-each such path of flow, or a total offour separate channels for discharge. Each of the four channels extends across a face of rotor 11. I

Assuming the rotors '11 and 12 to'be turning counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 3, the fluids admitted to the interdental spaces through channels 29 and 30 will be expelled from such spaces as the teeth of the pinion and ring gear mesh above the'horizontal center line through the pump chamber 8. Extending from such center line, at opposite sides of the rotors, are the channels 33 and 34. it will be observed that the entire area of each of these channels is exposed to the interdental spaces for the escape of fluid there from as the teeth approach their positions of maximum mesh. Channel '33, "however, extends closer than does channel 34 to the vertical centerlin-e and is a counterpart, in this respect, of channel 36 which is shown in dotted lines at the other side ofthe vertical center line in Figs. 1 and 3.

Channels 33 and '34 merge in passage 37 in the pump body '7 (Fig. 2) which passage opens into the valve chamber 9 subject to the control of a valve hereinafter to be described. Channels 35, 36 merge in passageBS in the pump body 7, which leads to the oppositeendfof the valve chamber 9, subject tothe control of'said valve, as is now to be described.

The valve chamber 9 is a transverse bore extending through the pump body 8 from one side to the other. R1:- placeable plugs 39 and 40 have their heads boltedto'the pump body as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The 'respec-- respectively.

At their mutually spaced ends 45, 45, the plugs have counter bores 47, 43 which terminate at the valve seat shoulders 49, 50, respectively. Rather closely fitted to the counter bores to be movable across the gap between the plug ends 45 and 46 is a ball valve 51 which may be actuated by pressure differentials to seat either at 49 or 50 to permit one of the body passages 37 or 38 to communicate through the respective lateral openings 41 or 42 and the appropriate bore 43 or 44 of the respective plugs with the space between the ends 45 and 46 of the plugs, which space opens into the valve chamber 9. In registry with this s ace, the valve chamber 9 intersects the discharge port 55, which may be capped by any desired coupling fitting 56.

When the pinion 12 and ring gear 11 are taming clockwise as viewed in Fig. 3, the increasing mesh of the teeth will dis lace the contents of the interdental spaces into channels 35 and 36. The fluids will pass from said branch channels into passage 38 and thence into passages 41 and 43 of the plug 39 to force the ball 51 to its seat 50, therevby permitting the fluids to escape from the counter bore .47 into the discharge passage 55 and outwardly through fitting 56.

If the rotation of the respective gears were counterclockwise, as viewed in Fig. 3, the displaced iluids would pass from the interdental spaces into channels 33 and 34 and thence throu h passages 37, 42 and 44 to the discharge port 55, the ball valve 51 being displaced to the left to engage its seat 49.

Figs. 7 and 8 show a conventional type of two-gear pump modified so that it will pump oil in the same direction regardless of the direction in which the gears are I operated. The housing 70 has flanges 71 and 72. To the flange 71 is bolted the closure plate 200 formed at 201 .to provide a bearing (not shown) for the shaft 100.

Within the housing 70, the shaft 100 carries a gear 110 and a meshing idler ge r 120. I The flange or head 72 of the casing is for-med to provide an inlet passage 260 having a coupling can 560. The branches 270 and 280 of the inlet passage 25h extend to ports 290 and 300 communicating with the housing at diametrically opposite points on a line passing through the axes of the respective gears.

Outlet ports 340 and 360 open axially from the housing at points at opposite sides of the line of mesh between gear 110 and idler gear 120. From the outlet port 340,

a passage 370 leads to valve chamber 431. From port 360, the passage 380 leads to valve chamber 441. These chambers are respectively formed in the interchangeable plugs 391 and 401 between which there is confined a valve 511, the general organization of this valve and its operation being identical with the constructions already described. The gap between the plugs 391 and 401 provides a passage 91 opening to the outlet port 551 and the coupling fitting 561.

The oil admitted through passage 250 will flow through branch passages 270 and 280 to the ports 290 and 300 to enter the spaces between the respective gears. As the gears mesh, according to their direction of rotation, the oil will be squeezed from between their teeth either into port 340 or port 360 and will traverse either passage 370 or 380 to the valve chamber and will thence flow through the outlet 551. In one direction of rotation, the port 340 will receive the displaced oil. In the other direction of rotation, port 360 will receive the displaced oil. However, the valve 511 will move automatically from one of its seats to the other according to the pressure established by the pump to seal the passage leading to the suction side of the gear mesh and to men the passage leading from the pressure side of the point of gear mesh. Self-adjusting valves have heretofore been proposed but have not gone into general use. It is believed that non-use is at least partially attributable to the hitherto unperceived fact that in order to operate successfulh the size of the bore controlled by the valve should bear some relationship to the capacity of the pump to assure the development in the bore of adequate fluid velocity for moving the valve positively to its alternate seat when the direction of the pump operation is reversed. Since it would be impracticable to make a completely new pump for each substantial change of flow capacity, the present invention contemplates an arrangement whereby a given pump, capable of handling quite a wide range of capacities, may be equipped interchangeably with plugs having bores and valve seats and a valve of widely different sizes according to the normal pump output. Thus, in Fig. 5, the plugs 39 and 40 of Fig. 3 have been replaced with plugs 39% and 400 of identical external dimensions, but having bores 430 and 449, seats 490 and 509 and a ball valve 510, all of which are. materially larger in cross section than the corresponding parts in Fig. 3. The aforesaid plugs and ball valve are freely interchangeable with those shown in Fig. 3 and register in the same manner with the ports 37, 38 and 55 of the pump casing. Thus, regardless of the normal pump fiow output, within the wide range of which the pump proper is capable, it is possible at moderate expense to provide interchangeable plug and valve members which will maintain a flow past the valve at sufiicient velocity and pressure to move the valve sharply from one seat to the other when there is a change in the direction of rotation.

In all embodiments, the annular clearance between the axially spaced surfaces 45 and 46 of the respective valve insert plugs will be sufiiciently narrow so that the ball valve will pass readily from one of the valve seat chambets to the other. Because the discharge passage completely surrounds this annular slot, discharge can take place through the slot in all directions and its capacity is large despite the relative narrowness of the slot.

The fact that each ball fits rather closely in its valve seat bore further assists in assuring the sharp movement of the ball from one valve seat to the other when the direction of rotation of the pump gears is effected.

We claim:

l. A pump casing having bores, opposing closures for one of said bores, said bore comprising a pump chamber, opposing closures for the other of said bores, said other bore comprising a valve chamber, pumping mechanism in the pump chamber provided with a driving shaft for which the closures first mentioned provide bearings, dual valve cages carried by the closures for said other bore in axially spaced relation and provided with valve seats, the said cages having axially aligned passages of materially smaller cross section than the bore cross section and leading from the first mentioned bore to said seats, and a valve pressureoperated from one of said seats across the axial spacing between said cages to the other according to the direction of discharge through said passages, the said casing having an annular discharge port intersecting the path of said valve, said port having a'radial extent substantially at least equal to. the cross section of the bore whereby to provide circumferential discharge from said passages to said port, the said closures providing axial clearance between said seats communicating with said port for the discharge through said port of fluid from one of said seats.

2. A pump casinghaving a first bore comprising a pump chamber, meshing pump gears in said chamber one of which is provided with a driving shaft, closures for the ends of said bore connected with said casing to enclose said gears, said casing having an inlet passage opening into said bore at a point remote from the point of mesh of said gears and having a plurality of discharge passages at op posite sides of the casing adjacent the point of mesh of the gears, the said closures extending into the bore and provided with channels extending across the faces of the gears in registry with, and constituting extensions of said discharge passages, said casing having a second bore interi aid discharge passages and providing a valve fchamberjarid a'n outlrpbrrintersecting saidvalveicharn- "ber ifitermediate-s'aid dischargepassag'es, and-opposin "plugs demountably positioned in the lastmentioned bore and havinglateral andaxial passages communicating with "the discharge passages of the casing and leading therefrom axially'of the'va'lve chamber toward said 'outlet port, and 'a"free moving pressure-operable "ball valve controlling flow through theipassa'ges last mentioned, the said plugs having ends spaced in the outlet port a distance less-than sages according to the direction of rotation of said gears.

' 3. The deviceof claim 2-in which each of the said dischargejpassages is bifurcated, includin'g'branc'hes extending fromoppositesides of said gears, the said closures having channels leading. across thegear sides"v to each branch, one channel leadingto one ofsaid branch passages from one side. of said gears originating in-'immediate proximity to the point of mesh'of said-gears, and another channel leading to a branch of the other passage at the opposite side of the gears originating in immediate proximity to the point of mesh of said gears, the alternate channels on the respective sides of the 'gears originating at points relatively more-remote from the pointjof mesh.

4. A'pump comprising a'casing having a bore opening through the casing andcomp'risin'g-a gear chamber, a pump comprising pinion and ring-gear rotors eccentrically disposed and meshing in the gear chamber, one of said rotors having a driving shaft, baffle means interposed between the pinion and ring gear rotors at a point remote from their point of mesh, closures for said gear chamber marginally connected with the casing and having portions eX- tending into said bore in abutment with said rotors and providing support for said baffle means, one of said closures having a bearing for such shaft, the plug portions of the respective closure means providing inlet channels at opposite sides of the rotors for which said casing is provided with a registering inlet passage, the said plug portions of said closures further providing four discharge channels, two of which, at opposite sides of said rotors, lead in opposite directions from points immediately proximate to the point of mesh of said rotors, the other two channels leading in opposite directions from points relatively remote from the point of mesh of the respective rotors, the said casing having discharge passages and branch passages leading from opposite sides of said rotors, one branch of each discharge passage communicating with one of said first mentioned channels and one of the latter channels, the casing being further provided with a bore constituting a valve chamber and with i which said transverse passages communicate, plugs fitted in the ends of the valve chamber and connected with said casing and provided with laterally opening passages registering with the discharge passages of the casing aforesaid, said plugs having axial bores into which their laterally opening passages communicate, the said centrally and the said plugs being counterbored to provide valve pockets and valve seat shoulders to which the said bores open, the ends of said plugs being spaced within the valve chamber, a ball valve confined within said pockets to move across said space between said seats according to the pressure differential developed in the respective discharge passages according to the direction of rotation of said rotors, the said casing having a delivery port intersected by the valve chamber bore and to which the annular space between said plugs opens for the delivery of fluid from the exposed valve seat.

5. In a pump of the character described, a casing provided with at least three laterally spaced passages and a bore intersecting all three passages, two of said bores leading "passages beiiigflaterally aces an firtefidifig in an "directiontosaid' bore, "and one of fsa'id passages being intermediate said twopa's'sa'g'esan "ex'tending'in said"direction from the opposite side offsaidbore,'elongated closure plugs connected with said casin and. disposed in saidbore to closefthee'nds thereof, therespejctive plugs having their'ends spaced from each' o'ther '.;,within.".t he said intermediate passage, the respective plugsbeing provided with lateral openings communicating respectively with said laterally'spaced passages and further provided with bores extending longitudinally of said plugs from their respective openings to their 'said respective ends, said plugs being provided" with counter boresfadjacent such ends to provide valve seats'and 'valvereceiving pockets larger than said bore,'and a singlefvalve confined by said plugs within their respective ppclcets for pressure-controlledmovement Ifromone of 'said'seats to theother across the interveningspace between theiends of said plugs to leave,tlie ii1 terr'nediate passage of-"said casing in I communication'witlh one or the other of said two laterally spaced'pas'sages through the opening andlbore of a ie-' pe t v p u 6. The device of'cla'im Sfinlwhich said valve comprises a'ball; I i v 7. The device of ,claim'S in which 'said pump casing comprises a pumpijc amber with which the respective passages leadinginthe'lsame.direction tosa i d bore both communicate, the pump comprising a rotor in said pump chamber," and :therespectiv'e passages opening from said points ingularly spaced respecting said 8. A pump 'c'a'singhaving'bores, opposing closures for one of said bores, said bore comprising apump chamber, separate opposing closures for the other of said bores, said other bore comprising avvalve chamber, meshing pump gears in-the'pump chamber provided with a I driving shaft for which the closures first mentioned provide bearings, separate valve cages carried by the closures for said other bore and provided with valve seats, the said closures and casing having registering passages leading from the first mentioned bore to said seats, and a valve pressure-operated along said passages from one of said seats to the other according to the direction of discharge through said passages, the said casing having an annular discharge port intersecting the, path of said valve, the ends of said closure cages being spaced to provide clearance between said seats communicating circumferentially with said port for the radial discharge through said port of fluid from one of said seats.

9. The device of claim Sin which the meshing gears comprise a ring gear and a pinion, said casing having a crescent battle between the pinion and the ring gear at the side of the pinion opposite from the point of mesh of the pinion with the ring gear.

10. The device of claim 8 in which said gears comprise gears having outwardly projecting peripheral teeth, said casing providing an inlet passage and branch .pa'ssages'lead-ing therefrom to points on the peripheries of the respective gears remote from their point of mesh, said casing further providing branch delivery passages leading to the respective registering passages from points in close proximity to, and at opposite sides of, the point of mesh of said gears.

11. A valving device for a reversable pump 'having a pump chamber and an inlet and dual outlet ports, said valving device comprising a valve chamber having a central outlet and aligned sockets, separate} closures for said sockets, separate tubular valve cage means in the respective sockets and having inner end portions spaced in said chamber, the ends of Lthe cage means having counterboresproviding valve seats, a valve rec-iprocable in the aligned counterbores of said cage means across 'the space between said end portions and engageable with 7 outlets of said pump, said cage means being interchangeable withlike cage means of different size counterbore,

valve'and passage means whereby to accommodate said closures and provided with valve seatsand counterbored housings about said seats, the said cage means and valve chamber having complementary passages leading from the respective pump outlets to the respective cages, and a ball valve pressure-operated from one of said seats to the other according to the direction of discharge through said passages, the said cages being provided with end walls spaced apart'less than the diameter of the ball valve whereby theball valve is guided to and from said seats in said, counterbored housing while providing clearance between said'seats communicating with the valve chamber outlet for the discharge through said outlet of fluid from one of said seats when the valve is engaged with the other.

13. A valving device comprising a casing having two inlet passages and a central outlet passage between said inlet passages, a bore intersecting all of said passages, closures deta'ohably connected with the casing at the ends of said bore, each of said closures including a valve cage spanning one of saidinlet passages and extending into the outlet passage, the respective valve cages having aligned bores and counterbores and having their inner ends spaced to afiord communication between the counterbores and said chamber at an intermediate point opening intothe outlet passage, together with a valve reciprocable in the .counterbores of the respective cages across the space between said cages, the respective cages having valveseats respectively engageable by said valve according to pressure diiferentials between said inlet passages, said valve exposing the counterbore of one cage for discharge to said outlet passage when the valve is engaged with the seat of the other cage, whereby to accommodate flow from onc'of said inlet passages to the outlet passage of said casing according to the position of said vaive, said closures being interchangeable with like closuresv of difierent size bores, counterbores, and valve whereby to accommodate said valving device to varying rates of flow therethrough.

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